Lake Oconee Fishing Report – May 2006

Oconee: Level: Full pool. Temp: 74 degrees. Clarity: Lightly stained, but a good Oconee color.

Bass: Good. The shad spawn is going on right now, but it’s been spotty. Many anglers feel that there’s so much seawall rip-rap on the lake now that it’s harder to find spawning shad — they can and will do it just about anywhere. The mid-lake area off the Oconee and in the Lick Creek vicinity have been good. If you see shad-spawn activity, throw a Pop R, 1/4-oz. or 3/8-oz. white buzzbait, a spinnerbait, a 1/4-oz. Rat-L-Trap, or try bouncing a small crankbait off the rocks. Once the shad go down, continue fishing the area off the rocks using a crankbait and a Carolina-rigged Trick Worm or U-tail worm. The flipping bite on the docks has been fairly good — good quality, but not many bites.

Crappie: Fair. A few smaller fish are still being caught shallow, but the better fishing is in deeper brush and timber 10- to 15-feet deep using minnows. Many anglers are fishing at night under lights.